Elder brother of defender Robert, Niko Kovac is a midfielder who combines strong tackling with creative use of the ball in the engine room for Croatia. Born in Germany, he made his international debut back in 1996 against Morocco, but missed out on selection for the World Cup finals two years later. A regular in Japan and Korea four years ago and also at Euro 2004, Kovac has well over 50 caps to his name. Plays his club football for Hertha Berlin, having also had spells with Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg and Bayern Munich.